By R.L. Bynum

CHAPEL HILL — The quarterback legacy Sam Howell and Drake Maye created goes well beyond their on-the-field accomplishments at North Carolina, and is a big reason the program attracted 6–5 Max Johnson.

After two seasons at Texas A&M, where Johnson said, “a lot of things went on,” the junior jumped at the chance to join a program he knows has developed NFL quarterbacks. UNC was equally eager to lure a quarterback that Patrick Suddes, the program’s general manager, calls “a football savant.”

It was a natural match.

“Just seeing the last few quarterbacks up here, I’m excited about being here,” said Johnson, a 225-pound graduate transfer with two years of eligibility and plenty of SEC experience. “I’m excited about playing with these guys. It’s been a lot of fun being in Chapel Hill.”

Coach Mack Brown has built a reputation as a master recruiter, but how he and offensive coordinator Chip Lindsay coached Maye was the biggest lure for Johnson.

“Honestly, just the way he talked about Drake was awesome,” Johnson said of Brown. “The way he defended him, the way he backed him up, the way he encouraged him, the way he put him on a pedestal.

“I think Coach Brown and Coach Lindsay did a great job of kind of developing Drake, and Drake also is a specimen and had a great year,” Johnson said. “I had a lot of fun watching them on film and on TV. I think being able to make plays with your feet, being able to make plays deep, intermediate, short. I think being able to be here gives us the opportunity to do that.”

Johnson has known Maye for about six years, going back to working a couple of camps in Charlotte with him, and they’ve talked a couple of times. He knows Maye will likely be a high pick in this year’s NFL draft and sees Howell starting for the Washington Commanders.

“It’s big shoes to fill,” said Johnson, who is joined at UNC by brother Jake, a tight end, after playing two seasons together at Texas A&M. “And I’m looking forward to making the most out of my moments here and just being the best I can be.”

After watching Maye’s production in Lindsay’s offense, Max Johnson is excited to be his quarterback.

“From an outside perspective, looking at the quarterbacks that came here, the numbers they put up, some of the big-time throws they made, the way they move the ball,” Johnson said. “It’s not just deep or just short; it’s what’s best for the game. Seeing Drake manage that and make plays with his feet, I have the ability to do that as well.”

There is a family legacy of success.

His father, Brad, played quarterback at Florida State and for 17 seasons in the NFL, making two Pro Bowls and winning Super Bowl XXXVII at the end of the 2002 season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His nephew is former Georgia and Miami head coach Mark Richt, a studio analyst for ACC Network.

In 30 college games, Johnson has completed 474 of 784 passes for 5,853 yards, 47 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

Johnson says that he’s a pro-style quarterback who can run if needed.

“I think I can make plays on the field, whether that’s throw it deep, throw it intermediate or throw short,” Johnson said. “I think I’ve been able to do all those things since I’ve been in college. I think I’m very accurate. I can understand defenses as well. And they’ve done a good job of not turning the ball over and making the plays when I needed to.”

Johnson played his first two seasons at LSU, starting all 12 games as a sophomore, before transferring to Texas A&M. He started three of four games for the Aggies in 2022 before suffering a season-ending injury.

“I think I knew what I wanted,” Johnson said. “Being able to experience two schools, something I saw, what I learned from both of them, what I liked, what I didn’t like, being able to discern that.”

He completed a career-best 62.1% of his passes last season for the Aggies, with nine touchdown passes against five interceptions.

Johnson said many factors led him to leave Texas A&M, which changed coaches in the offseason, firing former Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher in favor of former Duke coach Mike Elko.

“Whether it’s LSU or A&M — I think [they are] both different situations,” Johnson said. “I’d rather not crazy go into it. But there’s a lot of things that went on. That was the reason why I left because a lot of things went on. I’m honestly not too worried about that. And I’m excited to be here.”

Johnson took over as Texas A&M’s starter after Conner Weigman suffered a season-ending injury Sept. 23 against Auburn. Johnson inherited a 6–3 halftime advantage and led the Aggies to a 27–10 win, going 7 of 11 for 123 yards and two touchdowns, all in the second half.

Fisher later benched him in favor of sophomore Jaylen Henderson. Johnson didn’t play in the Aggies’ last four games after going 31 of 42 with one touchdown and one interception for 305 yards (his highest total as an Aggie) on Nov. 4 in a 38–35 road loss to No. 11 Ole Miss.

Johnson’s top six passing yardage games and highest eight touchdown pass totals came during his two seasons at LSU. He threw for a career-high 435 yards on Dec. 19, 2020, in a 53–48 home win over Ole Miss and a career-high five touchdown passes (with 372 passing yards) on Sept. 18, 2021, in a 49–21 home win over Central Michigan.

Johnson said that UNC’s offense reminds him of LSU after going under center a lot at Texas A&M.

He threw multiple touchdown passes only twice at Texas A&M — in the Auburn game and one week later on Sept. 30 with 210 passing yards in a 34–22 win over Arkansas at AT&T Stadium in Dallas.

Maye left a big void, and Suddes said Johnson was exactly the sort of player the Tar Heels sought.

“We really wanted a guy that was a veteran,” Suddes said. “We wanted a guy that’s played tough competition. We wanted a guy with some height. We wanted a guy that’s accurate and — between the ears — is a football savant. And that’s what Max is.”

High praise and, with that, comes high expectations. Although he’ll compete with sophomore Connor Harrell, Johnson likely enters spring practice as the favorite to start.

Johnson embraces the competition, and played golf the other day with Harrell, Jake Johnson and Deems May.

“It’s honestly one day at a time,” Johnson said. “It’s make the most of that moment that I play that day. Not get too high, not get too low, and just take what they give you, whether that’s the deep shot or being able to check down as well. I think just affecting the players around you, leading.”

Jake Johnson, a 6–5½, 240-pound sophomore, joins a talented group of tight ends, including graduate John Copenhaver and senior Bryson Nesbit.

“We have a lot of great guys here,” Max Johnson said. “In the last four or five weeks, we’ve been throwing, and they catch the ball really well. They’re fast or athletic. And I’m excited to watch them and kind of developing that relationship.”

Johnson said he’s been working out with receivers after classes and after workouts every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

“It’s been a great time to get those reps in for spring ball and kind of get that timing down,” he said.

Having a solid running back also helps, and junior Omarion Hampton has impressed Johnson.

“The first thing I noticed was his quads,” Johnson said. “It’s ridiculous because the dude can squat like 600-something pounds. He’s a juggernaut. He’s a stud, so I know he can catch the ball real well and is great on pass protection.”

Fans will get their first look at both Johnsons in UNC uniforms during the spring game at 3 p.m. on April 20.

UNC schedule

Month/ date	Opponent/event	2023 record	UNC record in series
April
20	Spring game, 3 p.m.	—	—
August
29 (Thurs.)	at Minnesota	6–7	1–0
September
7	Charlotte	3–9	0–0
14	N.C. Central	9–3	0–0
21	James Madison	11–2	3–0
28	at Duke	8–5	65–40–4
October
5	Pittsburgh	3–9	12–5
12	Georgia Tech	7–6	22–33–3
26	at Virginia	3–9	66–58–4
November
2	at Florida State	13–1	3–17–1
16	Wake Forest	4–8	72–36–2
23	at Boston College	7–6	6–2
30	N.C. State	9–4	68–39–6